Yes, if you have heard the rumors, (like anyone gossips about me), they are true!
Ladies, I have in fact BROKEN my BIG SHOT!
This is a public service announcement to pass on valuable information on “sammich” makings in the Big Shot.
Now, if you do not know what a BIG SHOT is, you might be in the wrong place, because anyone that visits my blog for inspiration, support or ideas should know what a Big Shot is. For you 1st timers, a Big Shot is a darling piece of machinery that cuts papers from dies. It is a DIE CUTTER!
I was peacefully minding my own business, finishing up a card for my Sweet Stamps DT assignment. I had one last step to do. I wanted to use my Cheery Lynn Designs Oval Stackers to cut out a frame around my finished piece of art.
In my defense, I had sick kids running around the house, a berserk dog barking at his own shadow, teenagers fighting over who knows what! I was not myself that evening.
Here is the card that BROKE THE BIG SHOT. You may or may not have already seen it on my blog.
I wanted to make a frame around the image to have the image sit on, since I had no Big Shot after I broke it, I resorted to tulle and machine stitching to frame the image.
My day went like this, this is the short version! 9am or so, need to finish that card, got the coloring done on the butterflies. I don’t color, I paper piece. Got everything glued down and wanted to do a polka dot frame around it.
I planned on using my FAVORITE paper from 7 gypsies.
So, I got my Scalloped Oval set out from Cheery Lynn Designs, cut my paper just bigger than the die I wanted to use.
With Cheery Lynn Dies, they emboss while they cut. I wanted a really deep emboss, which is easy to do by using a piece of paper or something like a shim.
But I mentioned, the house was CHAOS, and I really could not tell you how many pieces of paper I crammed under my die before puttin’ my sammich altogether.
I put the sammich on the Big Shot runway and started turning the crank, yeah, it was a little rough, “Put some elbow grease into it”, I swear I could heare my dearly departed grandma encouraging me.
So, that I did. But at one point, my elbows would grease no more!
Side view of my sammich jam.
Isn’t funny there is a UL sticker on that machine? I thought UL had something to do with electricity? Anyhow, at this point I am PANICKING! How on earth am I going to finish that card? Ok scratch that, what am I going to do with out a Big Shot for more than 10 min?
I decided right then and there, I would take that puppy apart and get that sammich out!
Upside down view as I start to disassemble it!
First pieces off!
At this point most of the BODY is off and I still can see no way to unwedge it!
This is what it looks like under the turn handle.
After I got all the parts off I could, this is what I was left with!
I investigated the gears, and realized, there was nothing left that I could do.
I think I calculated the small gear should have 12 or so teeth, of which I had broken about 3 or 4 of them.
At this point, I was feeling pretty much like this!
I gathered up all the change in the house I could find…
…determined I would gather enough to go get another… Here is my sneaky, proud of myself face, and my brilliant partner in crime.
Then I thought about it for a while, shot off some emails and lo and behold, I have to say that a knight in shining armour came to my rescue!
My machine is now, as I speak(type), at the Big Shot hospital and is getting some new parts.
Moral of my story is what? Don’t craft under stress? Don’t shove more than you can roll? When making a sammich, hold the mayo? I don’t know.
But you know how we bloggers are, when disaster strikes, we see a beautiful blog post forming.
Think of me and this post, the next time you think of adding any more to that sammich you are running through whatever machine you have!
Bye for now and happy crafting!
Tags: Big Shot, Cards, Cheery Lynne Dies, Sizzix, Sweet Stamps
The Polka Cabana 